gigawatt

noun

giga·​watt ˈji-gə-ˌwät How to pronounce gigawatt (audio) ˈgi- How to pronounce gigawatt (audio)
: a unit of power equal to one billion watts

Examples of gigawatt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Last year, China made historic increases in installations of solar, wind, and other renewable energy, including adding 216 gigawatts of solar capacity – more than what exists in the United States. Ann Scott Tyson, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 May 2024 Manufacturers globally are deploying enough solar panels to produce an additional 240 gigawatts each year. IEEE Spectrum, 9 May 2024 The operator of the electrical grid in Texas, ERCOT, said last month that peak load is expected to reach 152 gigawatts by 2030, nearly double the record set last year of 85 gigawatts. Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2024 BloombergNEF reported a global total of 1.4 gigawatts and 8.2 gigawatt-hours of long-duration energy storage as of last September, excluding pumped hydro. Dan Gearino, WIRED, 4 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for gigawatt 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gigawatt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1962, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gigawatt was circa 1962

Dictionary Entries Near gigawatt

Cite this Entry

“Gigawatt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gigawatt. Accessed 7 Jun. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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